DETROIT -- In possibly his most encouraging start of the season, Justin Verlander reached back to past, but familiar, territory with his velocity on Wednesday.
"That's the first time I've seen him at 99 (mph) since I've been here," Detroit Tigers' second-year manager Brad Ausmus said after a 7-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park.
What's more, said Verlander, "it felt great. The same effort was producing 94, 95, 96 earlier."
In his prime, the 32-year-old's signature style included dialing upper-90s heat in the late innings, and true to his old form, he stepped on the gas in a seventh-inning jam Wednesday. With two outs and the bases loaded, he used five 98-99 mph fastballs to strike out Geovany Soto, exiting with a four-run lead.
Verlander allowed three runs on five hits with eight strikeouts in his seven innings.
It's been a challenging year for Verlander, a former Cy Young and MVP awards winner whose season debut was delayed until June 13 because of an arm issue coming out of spring training. He allowed at least five runs in four of his first nine starts, but in the last nine, he's allowed as many as four just once while posting a 2.10 ERA.
Even with Wednesday's victory, he's 4-8 for the season -- and the win was only his second of the year at home.
Melky Cabrera's 100th career home run, a two-run shot in the fourth, accounted for the first two White Sox runs.
Detroit scored twice in the first on Victor Martinez's 11th home run, his 200th career homer, then added four more runs in the third -- two of them on J.D. Martinez's bases-loaded double that gave him 98 RBI for the season.
Victor Martinez is another Tiger finishing strong after a mostly disappointing season.
"He's trending upward in a lot of categories," Ausmus said. "The ball is coming off his bat harder."
Martinez called it a frustrating year for himself and for the team as well.
"Not making the playoffs is failing," he said.
Rajai Davis, who scored three runs, had two singles and a triple for the Tigers.
FRANKIE SAYS RE-DO?
Making his first career start, White Sox right-hander Frankie Montas (0-1) worked the first three innings. He allowed six runs on six hits.
In five previous relief outings for the Sox, he had a 1.13 ERA.
"Things didn't go like I wanted," said Montas. "But that's part of the game."
REMEMBERING YOGI BERRA
"It's a sad day," Ausmus said of Berra's passing. "He was a larger-than-life character who had a positive impact on the game of baseball and on those around him."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: 1B Miguel Cabrera did not play, but lower back soreness is not expected to keep him out for multiple games. "If we were fighting for a playoff spot, he'd be playing," manager Brad Ausmus said. "But with an off day tomorrow, I'd rather knock it out and have him be ready for the series we have left against teams in contention."
White Sox: Still day-to-day with patella tendinitis in his right knee, 1B Adam LaRoche is "ramping it up and taking batting practice. We're hoping to get him back in there maybe this weekend," said Sox manager Robin Ventura. ... 3B Mike Olt, whose third-inning two-out single was Chicago's first hit off Verlander, left the game with right shoulder discomfort after five innings.
NEXT UP
Tigers: Detroit is off Thursday, then opens a series at home against the Twins on Friday. Matt Boyd (1-5, 7.40) will go for the Tigers against Mike Pelfrey (6-10, 4.16).
White Sox: Chicago opens a four-game series at Yankee Stadium, with Chris Sale (12-10, 3.47) facing Michael Pineda (11-8, 4.10).
"That's the first time I've seen him at 99 (mph) since I've been here," Detroit Tigers' second-year manager Brad Ausmus said after a 7-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park.
What's more, said Verlander, "it felt great. The same effort was producing 94, 95, 96 earlier."
In his prime, the 32-year-old's signature style included dialing upper-90s heat in the late innings, and true to his old form, he stepped on the gas in a seventh-inning jam Wednesday. With two outs and the bases loaded, he used five 98-99 mph fastballs to strike out Geovany Soto, exiting with a four-run lead.
Verlander allowed three runs on five hits with eight strikeouts in his seven innings.
It's been a challenging year for Verlander, a former Cy Young and MVP awards winner whose season debut was delayed until June 13 because of an arm issue coming out of spring training. He allowed at least five runs in four of his first nine starts, but in the last nine, he's allowed as many as four just once while posting a 2.10 ERA.
Even with Wednesday's victory, he's 4-8 for the season -- and the win was only his second of the year at home.
Melky Cabrera's 100th career home run, a two-run shot in the fourth, accounted for the first two White Sox runs.
Detroit scored twice in the first on Victor Martinez's 11th home run, his 200th career homer, then added four more runs in the third -- two of them on J.D. Martinez's bases-loaded double that gave him 98 RBI for the season.
Victor Martinez is another Tiger finishing strong after a mostly disappointing season.
"He's trending upward in a lot of categories," Ausmus said. "The ball is coming off his bat harder."
Martinez called it a frustrating year for himself and for the team as well.
"Not making the playoffs is failing," he said.
Rajai Davis, who scored three runs, had two singles and a triple for the Tigers.
FRANKIE SAYS RE-DO?
Making his first career start, White Sox right-hander Frankie Montas (0-1) worked the first three innings. He allowed six runs on six hits.
In five previous relief outings for the Sox, he had a 1.13 ERA.
"Things didn't go like I wanted," said Montas. "But that's part of the game."
REMEMBERING YOGI BERRA
"It's a sad day," Ausmus said of Berra's passing. "He was a larger-than-life character who had a positive impact on the game of baseball and on those around him."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: 1B Miguel Cabrera did not play, but lower back soreness is not expected to keep him out for multiple games. "If we were fighting for a playoff spot, he'd be playing," manager Brad Ausmus said. "But with an off day tomorrow, I'd rather knock it out and have him be ready for the series we have left against teams in contention."
White Sox: Still day-to-day with patella tendinitis in his right knee, 1B Adam LaRoche is "ramping it up and taking batting practice. We're hoping to get him back in there maybe this weekend," said Sox manager Robin Ventura. ... 3B Mike Olt, whose third-inning two-out single was Chicago's first hit off Verlander, left the game with right shoulder discomfort after five innings.
NEXT UP
Tigers: Detroit is off Thursday, then opens a series at home against the Twins on Friday. Matt Boyd (1-5, 7.40) will go for the Tigers against Mike Pelfrey (6-10, 4.16).
White Sox: Chicago opens a four-game series at Yankee Stadium, with Chris Sale (12-10, 3.47) facing Michael Pineda (11-8, 4.10).
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Chicago - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | CHW | DET |
| Eaton flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Abreu walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Thompson lined into double play, center to first to pitcher, Abreu doubled off first. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Frankie Montas pitching for Chicago | CHW | DET |
| Gose grounded out to pitcher. | 0 | 0 |
| Davis singled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Kinsler struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| V. Martínez homered to right (345 feet), Davis scored. | 0 | 2 |
| J.D. Martinez walked. | 0 | 2 |
| Castellanos popped out to second. | 0 | 2 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Chicago - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | CHW | DET |
| Cabrera popped out to shortstop. | 0 | 2 |
| A. García grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 2 |
| Ramírez grounded out to third. | 0 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Frankie Montas pitching for Chicago | CHW | DET |
| Avila struck out swinging. | 0 | 2 |
| McCann lined out to left. | 0 | 2 |
| Machado struck out swinging. | 0 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Chicago - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | CHW | DET |
| Sánchez struck out looking. | 0 | 2 |
| Olt singled to center. | 0 | 2 |
| Olt caught stealing second, catcher to second. | 0 | 2 |
| Soto grounded out to third. | 0 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Frankie Montas pitching for Chicago | CHW | DET |
| Gose grounded out to second. | 0 | 2 |
| Davis reached on infield single to shortstop. | 0 | 2 |
| Kinsler singled to shallow right, Davis to second. | 0 | 2 |
| Davis safe at third, Kinsler safe at second on throwing error by catcher Soto. | 0 | 2 |
| V. Martínez intentionally walked. | 0 | 2 |
| J.D. Martinez hit a ground rule double to left, Davis and Kinsler scored, V. Martínez to third. | 0 | 4 |
| Castellanos singled to left, V. Martínez scored, J.D. Martinez to third. | 0 | 5 |
| Avila grounded out to shortstop, J.D. Martinez scored, Castellanos to second. | 0 | 6 |
| McCann popped out to shortstop. | 0 | 6 |
| 4 Runs, 4 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Chicago - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | CHW | DET |
| Eaton grounded out to second. | 0 | 6 |
| Abreu struck out swinging. | 0 | 6 |
| Thompson walked. | 0 | 6 |
| Cabrera homered to right (378 feet), Thompson scored. | 2 | 6 |
| A. García lined out to left. | 2 | 6 |
| 2 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Scott Carroll pitching for Chicago | CHW | DET |
| Carroll relieved Montas. | 2 | 6 |
| Machado reached on infield single to shortstop. | 2 | 6 |
| Gose grounded into double play, second to first, Machado out at second. | 2 | 6 |
| Davis tripled to left. | 2 | 6 |
| Kinsler reached on infield single to third, Davis scored. | 2 | 7 |
| V. Martínez grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 7 |
| 1 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Chicago - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | CHW | DET |
| Ramírez flied out to left. | 2 | 7 |
| Sánchez struck out looking. | 2 | 7 |
| Olt struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Scott Carroll pitching for Chicago | CHW | DET |
| Beckham at third base. | 2 | 7 |
| J.D. Martinez grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 7 |
| Castellanos grounded out to third. | 2 | 7 |
| Avila struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Chicago - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | CHW | DET |
| Soto struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| Eaton flied out to right. | 2 | 7 |
| Abreu struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Daniel Webb pitching for Chicago | CHW | DET |
| Webb relieved Carroll. | 2 | 7 |
| McCann flied out to right. | 2 | 7 |
| Machado walked. | 2 | 7 |
| Machado to second on wild pitch by Webb. | 2 | 7 |
| Gose struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| Davis struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Chicago - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | CHW | DET |
| Thompson flied out to center. | 2 | 7 |
| Cabrera singled to right. | 2 | 7 |
| A. García singled to right, Cabrera to second. | 2 | 7 |
| Ramírez doubled to left, Cabrera scored, A. García to third. | 3 | 7 |
| Sánchez struck out swinging. | 3 | 7 |
| Beckham walked. | 3 | 7 |
| Soto struck out swinging. | 3 | 7 |
| 1 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Zach Putnam pitching for Chicago | CHW | DET |
| Putnam relieved Webb. | 3 | 7 |
| Kinsler flied out to right. | 3 | 7 |
| V. Martínez struck out swinging. | 3 | 7 |
| J.D. Martinez lined out to center. | 3 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Chicago - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Blaine Hardy pitching for Detroit | CHW | DET |
| Hardy relieved Verlander. | 3 | 7 |
| Eaton walked. | 3 | 7 |
| Abreu flied out to center. | 3 | 7 |
| Thompson struck out swinging. | 3 | 7 |
| Cabrera doubled to deep left, Eaton scored. | 4 | 7 |
| VerHagen relieved Hardy. | 4 | 7 |
| A. García fouled out to catcher. | 4 | 7 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Dan Jennings pitching for Chicago | CHW | DET |
| Jennings relieved Putnam. | 4 | 7 |
| Castellanos struck out swinging. | 4 | 7 |
| Avila walked. | 4 | 7 |
| McCann grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Avila out at second. | 4 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Chicago - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Neftali Feliz pitching for Detroit | CHW | DET |
| Romine at third base. | 4 | 7 |
| Feliz relieved VerHagen. | 4 | 7 |
| Ramírez grounded out to third. | 4 | 7 |
| Sánchez lined out to left. | 4 | 7 |
| Beckham lined out to center. | 4 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Chicago White Sox | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Eaton DH | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | .280 | .353 | .423 |
| Abreu 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 22 | .292 | .350 | .511 |
| Thompson CF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | .314 | .372 | .593 |
| Cabrera LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | .277 | .319 | .402 |
| A. García RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .259 | .310 | .367 |
| Ramírez SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .248 | .284 | .357 |
| Sánchez 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | .232 | .272 | .343 |
| Olt 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .214 | .290 | .321 |
Beckham 3B
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | .206 | .272 | .319 |
| Soto C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | .223 | .302 | .413 |
| Totals | 31 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 140 | |||
| BATTING 2B: Ramírez (30, Verlander); Cabrera (34, Hardy) HR: Cabrera (12, 4th inning off Verlander 1 on, 2 Out) RBI: Cabrera 3 (76), Ramírez (59) 2-out RBI: Cabrera 3 White Sox RISP: 1-4 (Sánchez 0-1, Soto 0-1, A. García 0-1, Ramírez 1-1) Team LOB: 4 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING CS: Olt (1, 2nd base by Verlander/McCann) | ||||||||||
| FIELDING E: Soto (5, throw) DP: 2 (Sánchez-Abreu, Sánchez-Ramírez-Abreu). | ||||||||||
Game Notes
| 3B OLT LEFT GAME (SHOULDER) TOP 6TH |
Game Information
| Stadium | Comerica Park, Detroit, MI |
| Attendance | 31,889 (76.7% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:58 |
| Weather | 70 degrees, sunny |
| Wind | 6 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Tom Woodring, First Base - Mark Carlson, Second Base - Brian Gorman, Third Base - Tripp Gibson |
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